5 reasons why Wayne Rooney's move to Everton will help him revitalise his career

#5 He can fight his way back to England team

Rooney can provide valuable support and guidance to English youngsters

As much as it would have hurt Rooney to be ousted from the United squad with their endless resources, it would have arguably hurt him more to be out of the England picture. A young squad going into a World Cup year with a new manager, Rooney will be desperate to fight his way back into Southgate's plans.

Playing week in week out in England would keep Rooney in Southgate's radar. Perhaps it is one among several reasons why he opted against a move to China. England have a young squad crying out for experience – and the talent in the squad is not at the level of other giants like Spain, Germany or France.

It is doubtless that Rooney at his best deserves a place in the current England squad. Now it is a question of whether he can get back to his best – a question for which we should start getting the answer fairly soon.